Wildfire
by Lushcoltrane
Summary: Jade can't help saying "I told you so" in the midst of a disaster.


Disclaimer: _Victorious_ and its characters are the property of Schneider's Bakery and Nickelodeon. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. No profit is intended or wanted for this story.

Summary: Jade can't help saying "I told you so" in the midst of a disaster.

* * *

"I told you that this house was a bad idea. I told you the location would be a problem. I told you…"

"MOM! Shut up and drive!"

Jade stopped lecturing her wife and turned to glare at her twelve-year old daughter in the back seat. The girl's face was a mask of fear. That stopped Jade from saying anything and she turned back to the road. One last, less strident comment to her wife, "I did tell you."

Tori had a sad, defeated look on her face and Jade suddenly felt bad for her. Their daughter yelled, "MOM!"

Jade jerked her head back to the road and barely managed to avoid a large branch that fell in front of them in a shower of sparks and flames.

As Jade now concentrated on the road ahead, her wife and daughter stared out of the windows at the inferno surrounding them.

The drive was like a trip through Hell. On both sides, trees resembled torches and houses were masses of flame. Distant trees were like flaring candles Far too often, something would explode – gas tanks or other pressurized containers heated past the bursting point.

The car was rocked and nudged sideways as a propane tank exploded nearly a hundred yards to their right. Jade fought to keep control even as Tori and Lola cried out in terror. A wave of flame washed over and around the car for an eternity then they were clear again.

The wildfire was moving so fast, the edge of the burn zone kept jumping ahead of them. Just as Jade saw an end, trees ahead of them literally exploded into flame, often dropping flaming branches down onto or at least near the road.

Seconds after the trees turned into giant matches, nearby structures began to smolder then explode into flaming shapes soon after. Even grass that had been lush and green smoldered in the inferno.

The heat was palpable inside the vehicle. Jade tried to crank up the air conditioning. Cool air flowed from the vents but was overwhelmed by the ambient heat building up in the car.

Even as flames flared around their car, Jade thought back to a quarter hour ago.

"Lola, grab your shit. We have to go! The fire is coming this way!"

"Jade, is it that bad?"

"Vega, the wind shifted. It's blowing down from the ridge now and pushing the fire this way. We need to move. NOW LOLA!"

A younger version of Tori, Lola stopped at the bottom of the stairs, "I'm here already! Jeez…"

 _Looks like Tori and sounds like me. Definitely our daughter,_ Jade thought proudly. Then she looked out the back window and saw a tree near the crest of the ridge flare up. In a calm voice, she declared, "We have to go now!"

"But…they said we were safe," Tori said, even as she grabbed some things to save. "The fire was miles away and moving east up into the higher hills."

"The wind shifted. C'mon, let's go…"

They loaded three pre-packed suitcases and a box of items they wanted to save – Jade demanded they have these ready every fire season once they moved in several years ago.

Jumping in the Jeep Cherokee, Jade made sure her family was in then pulled out of the garage and onto the street. Their house was still brightly lit from within but also haloed by the red-orange glare against the dark sky. As she drove out of the hillside subdivision, she saw other families, who got the word, trying to get out.

Across their street, the Hills home looked occupied but no sign of activity. Jade screeched to a halt and ran to the front door, hammering on it as she yelled, "HEY HILLS! GET YOUR ASSES OUT! THE FIRE IS CRESTING! CROSSING OVER THE RIDGE! C'MON, GET OUT!"

No activity inside the house as another tree up on the ridge, but noticeably nearer, burst into fire.

"JADE!" "MOM!"

Shouts from her car got her moving and they were pulling out into the street again.

Now, Jade couldn't give too much thought to their neighbors. She was worried about her wife and daughter _. God, take me if you need a sacrifice, just let them live…_

"Holy Kee-rist! Moms, look!" Lola was pointing to the left.

Jade chanced a glance to see a column of fire about a hundred yards away. A fire tornado, it grew as it sucked in the surrounding air and the column rose even as it moved randomly across the burning landscape.

Chancing another glance, Jade saw the column attenuate as the height grew geometrically before it disappeared.

The air within the Jeep was growing even more thick and hot. Breathing was becoming difficult. The heat was so intense that even the rare sweat Jade felt evaporated immediately. She shifted her hands on the steering wheel and immediately put them back where they were – the wheel was almost too hot to hold.

Around them, all was flame, smoke, embers, ash and heat. _Like Dante's inferno,_ Jade thought.

A flash of fire flew across the road directly in front of them. Tori and Lola screamed. Jade yelled, "STOP THAT!"

It didn't matter. Just after they passed an abandoned car, the gas tank blew and all three women screamed. The back of the jeep swerved from the blast and again Jade had to fight to stay on the road. Fortunately, she was successful.

The asphalt ahead of them was steaming. Jade knew it was only a matter of time before it would start to melt and become more and more viscous. If that happened, they were dead. If the Jeep stopped at any time, they were toast. Literally.

Even now, all the smoke and ash was causing problems with the air intake for the engine. Jade had to downshift twice to keep the car moving. She engaged the four-wheel drive as well.

Her mind flashed back to the old movies _Volcano_ and _Dante's Peak._ In the former, Tommy Lee Jones' car tires started to melt from the lava under the street before the road melted and swallowed the car. In the second, superior movie (in Jade's opinion), Pierce Brosnan and his costars tried to drive across the crust of a fresh lava flow. The heat below began to burn and melt the tires when the weight of the truck punched through the crust…

"God, I gotta forget those movies," Jade muttered.

Focusing on the road ahead, Jade forced herself to concentrate on driving. Nothing else. Not the heat, the befouled air or the fearful cries and screams from her women. She even managed to ignore another blast to the side of their jeep. If it wasn't on the road ahead of them, Jade didn't care.

A drive from their home in the hills above Santa Barbara to the 101 highway which, on a busy day or time, could take up to ten minutes, seemed to be a never-ending trek.

 _Am I in Hell? Is that what this is? Me eternally driving through a firestorm while worrying about my loved ones? At least I know Lola hasn't done anything to deserve this so she's not really here…_

Even as she was starting to hallucinate from the stress and the lack of oxygen, Jade stayed on target – getting out of the deathtrap that had been their neighborhood.

"Moms! Look!"

"Jade, you did it!"

The voices cut through the haze in her mind. Taking her focus from the road, Jade became aware of the new situation they were in – no fire, no heat, no ash. Air, beautiful, breathable air filled her lungs even as she coughed the worst of the crap out of her lungs.

"Mom, I love you! You're my hero!" Jade heard as she was hugged from behind.

Tori reached across the center console and grasped her wife, saying, "Mine too!"

A National Guard private came up to them. Jade pried her hand off the steering wheel where her grip cramped her hand into a claw to lower her window. "Keep going down then to the left, ma'am. There are medics and services for you and your passengers."

Jade nodded and pulled away. Then she said, "Ma'am? MA'AM?! Who the hell does Gomer Pyle think I am?!"

Relieved her wife was okay after that total fixation on the drive, Tori laughed, "Jade, we're in our thirties. To a young guy like him, we're ooooold…."

"Yeah Mom, you and Mama are old!"

Doing a very credible Moe Howard, Jade growled, "Remind me to kill you later."

Lola, who was well-versed in the long ago comedy trio, replied, "I'll make a note of it. You got a pencil?"

At the forward support camp, they were checked out. Except for minor smoke inhalation – which was treated with some straight oxygen treatments - they were fine and allowed to move on. When offered a place to stay by the Red Cross, Tori shook her head, "No. Thanks, save it for someone who really needs it."

Just as a very red dawn rose over the mountains to the north and east, the ash-coated, somewhat singed Jeep Cherokee pulled up to the Vega home in the Hollywood Hills.

David and Holly were both waiting for them. Intense hugs, tears and joy filled the front yard.

Soon, they were all in the very familiar living room. Even Lola had a cup of coffee in front of her as they all described the drive through hell. All except Jade. She was still suffering a bit of PTSD. It was a harrowing drive, particularly for her as she felt it was all on her as the driver.

To a point, it was but she was also a hero to the Vegas and their extended 'family' of friends as the story spread.

Later, when Jade was being interviewed on _Entertainment Tonight_ , she was asked about rebuilding their home in Santa Barbara.

"Hell no! We're getting a beach house in Malibu!"

* * *

Note: This was inspired by the recent spate of wildfires in the west. There is an incredible video someone took as they tried to drive out of a fire zone. A YouTube search should find it.


End file.
